GREAT ROUND BY CHARLES Nagle Has Narrow Golf Victory

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31863, 16 December 1968, Page 32

GREAT ROUND BY CHARLES Nagle Has Narrow Golf Victory

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, The Christchurch left-hander, R. J. Charles, stormed in with a final round of 64 in the $5OOO B.P. golf tournament at the Grange on Saturday, but he had to be content with sharing second place behind the Australian, K. D. G. Nagle.

After setting a new course record of 64 in the first round, Nagle followed it with two rounds of 69, and with a five-stroke lead looked to have the tournament well within his grasp when the final round began.

However, he could do nc better than a par 70, and finished only one stroke ahead of Charles and G. B. Wolstenholme (Britain). on 272.

At the last hole Nagle put his second shot into the same bunker from which he holed out in the second round. This time he exploded to within lain of the cup and his putt gave him the title. Charles began his fourth; round seven strokes behind; Nagle. In his first nine holes ■ he had seven putts for birdies! but holed only one. On the I homeward journey his putter' was deadly accurate and he; scored five birdies. His total of 30 strokes on> the last nine holes was the; outstanding achievement of the tournament —and probably,' one of the best in the 1968 circuit.

Charles said afterwards: “1 was playing better than 1 did in scoring that 62 at Paraparaumu. I just let myself go loose and gave it everything.” He had 16 putts on his first nine holes, but only II on the second. Wolstenholme also had his best round of the tournament in the afternoon with a 66. and he and Charles finished on 273. Fourth on 275 was R. Vines,

whose final round of 67 included five birdies. The young Australian missed many short putts and had his green play been equal to his fairway work Vines would have broken the course record, now ■shared by Charles and Nagle. Nagle scored birdies on the fourth and fifth with some fine putting but he lost his touch at the halfway stage. He missed a two-footer at the eighth, and short ones at the tenth and eleventh. Thus Nagle, who was leading by six strokes after five holes,’ had his advantage cut to only two six holes later. ■ With a grand wood shot,! Nagle reached the green with his second at the par-five twelfth; his putt for an eagle! missed, but he got his birdie. Nagle dropped a stroke on the, fifteenth but picked it up on the next hole. Enough To Win He came home in 36, one over the card, for a par round of 70. It was not the great golf that has come to be expected of Nagle, but it was still good enough to win. W’olstenholme’s round of 66i was another gem. He scored four birdies and did not drop! a stroke. There were some surprising rounds in the morning. 1. Richardson, the young Englishman who was playing with a chipped shin-bone and three stitches in his leg, had four birdies on the first nine holes! for a 32. He finished with 66.1 R. D. Gillespie (Remuera),; the Auckland Freyberg RoseBowl representative, was the top amateur, largely due to his morning 67, which also included a first half of 32.